Eliminating mistakes in plasmapheresis

ABSTRACT

In plasmapheresis, this disclosure teaches a method for eliminating mistakes in returning a container of red blood cells to the correct donor. A mating plug and receptacle of distinctive shape are connected between the container and its support. If the plug and receptacle do not match, there is no convenient way to support the container for intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor. The basic concept can be applied also to a wide variety of other services.

United States Patent Ralph Rosenberg Bay Harbor Island;

Sheldon Reich, Hollywood, both of Fla. 840,154

July 9, 1969 Dec. 7, 1971 North American Biologicals, Inc.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Inventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ELIMINA'IING MISTAKES IN PLASMAPHERESIS 7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 128/214 R Int. Cl ..A6lm 05/00 Field of Search... 128/214, 214.2, 2; 285/D1G. 15

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1954 Adams et a1.

2,896,619 7/1959 Bellamy 128/214 3,145,713 8/1964 Latham 128/214 3,364,930 1/1968 Ryan 128/214 3,407,812 10/1968 Lucas 128/214 3,523,522 8/1970 Whitehead et al..... 128/2 FOREIGN PATENTS 771,968 4/1957 Great Britain 285/D1G. 15

Primary Examiner- Dalton L. Truluck Attorney-Ham: & Baxley ABSTRACT: In plasmapheresis, this disclosure teaches a method for eliminating mistakes in returning a container of red blood cells to the correct donor. A mating plug and receptacle of distinctive shape are connected between the container and its support. If the plug and receptacle do not match, there is no convenient way to support the container for intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor. The basic concept can be applied also to a wide variety of other services.

PATENTEUDEB 71am 3.625212 sum 1 BF 2 SHELDON RE/G BY RALPH ROSE/V85 G Arrow/5K9 PATENTEUDEB 1m 3.625212 SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG. 8 FIG. 9

INVENY'URS Z 5 JHELDON RE /C H BY RALPH ROSENBERG AT my:

ELIMINATING MISTAKES 1N PLASMAPIIERESIS BACKGROUND Plasmapheresis is a method of obtaining plasma from a blood donor by extracting blood, centrifuging the blood to remove plasma and then returning red blood cells to him. A critical danger in plasmapheresis is that the red blood cells might be retumedby mistake to the wrong donor. Such a mistake could result in serious complications or even death. Until the present, safety checks used in plasmapheresis have been entirely visual and have included matching of donor numbers with cot numbers or matching colors. But these safety checks are subject to obvious human mistakes and other limitations.

INVENTION Safety checking of the matching of red blood cells with the proper donor is here accomplished in a novel and facile way. Distinctively shaped receptacles cooperate with matching plugs to detect mismatching. Accordingly, one object of this invention is to detect a mismatch by physical means.

Another object is to render the blood container physically unsupportable in the event there is a mismatch.

Another object is to make these matches relatively independent from human shortcomings such as inattention, boredom and color blindness.

Another object is to be able to centrifuge the blood container along with the plug, without damage to the blood container or impairment of centrifugal separation.

Another object is to provide plug and receptacle configurations and sizes such that each plug is able to be fitted into its corresponding receptacle and none other, even by force or turning.

DRAWINGS The foregoing and other features will appear more fully from the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plug receptacle pair according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 depict a cot and associated stand suitable for blood donating, with FIG. 2 showing the plasmapheresis situation before donating, FIG. 3 showing the situation when a supply of blood is taken from the donor and FIG. 4 showing the situation when red blood cells and saline solution are returned to the donor.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate other suitable plug and receptacle pairs.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show receptacles with numeral and letter coding.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As seen in FIGS. 2-4 during plasmapheresis the donor usually reclines on a cot 11 (or the like) which is provided with hook 12 below the level of the donor for receiving whole blood from one of the donor's arms via tube 13. Stand 14 is also provided and it has hooks l and 16 for supporting solid blood constituents and saline solution respectively for subsequent intravenous delivery to the donor via tubes 17 and 18. In keeping with the principal object of this invention, which is avoiding mistakes in matching correctly red blood cells with their donor, some precautions become important.

It should be made impractical and inconvenient for a technician to hand blood container 19 on stand 14 when plug 21 is not connected properly thereto. Toward this purpose, hook is closed by detent 22 so that support for blood container 19 must be furnished via member 23 in which receptacle 24 is provided. In this regard it would be useful to arrange hook 16 and saline container 25 so that hook 16 can accommodate only saline container 25, and not blood container 19.

Movement of stand 14 from one cot 11 to another must also be avoided at any time plug 21 is out of receptacle 24. This movement can be prevented by attaching stand 14 and cot 11 to the floor or by attaching stand 14 to cot l1. Cot 11 and stand 14 can also be connected detachably with a suitable seal 10 positioned therebetween to indicate disconnection.

At the core of this disclosure is preventing return by mistake of blood container 19, with red blood cells therein, to the wrong stand 14. The preferred procedure for avoiding such a mistake is best seen in the three-step series of illustrations of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. In FIG. 2, cot I1 and stand 14, with member 23 depending from hook by means of closed link 26, are prepared for the donor. Plug 21 is in place in receptacle 24 and is retained therein by latch 27 rotatable about pin 28. Blood container 19 has loops 29 and 31 at its ends 32 and 33 respectively. In taking whole blood from the donor, blood container 19 is hung on hook 12 by means of closed link 34 and loop 29. The technician then removes plug 21 from receptacle 24 and connects the plug by means of snap link 35 onto loop 31 of blood container .19. When the supply of whole blood is taken from the donor, it is removed (with plug 21 connected to it) for centrifuging to separate plasma therefrom. This centrifuging is accomplished with plug 24 connected to loop 21 of blood container 19.

There remains the step of returning red blood cells of the blood to the donor. These red blood cells are returned to the area in container 19 which the technician hangs on stand 14 by opening latch 27, inserting plug 21 into receptacle 24 and closing latch 27. As best seen in FIG. 1, member 23 includes back 36 which cooperates with latch 27 for holding plug 21 in position. Saline container 25 is hung from hook 116 and a mixture of red blood cells and saline solution is introduced intravenously to the donor via tubes 17 and 18 to complete the plasmapheresis procedure.

As seen in FIGS. 59, this invention contemplates plugs of a wide variety of shapes. Plugs may be coded according to numerals and or letters as shown by receptacle 23 in FIGS. 8 and 9. It is most important that plug and receptacle configurations and sizes be selected such that each plug is able to be fitted into its corresponding receptacle and none other even by force or turning. Support for blood container 19 requires that plug 19 have a reasonable broad horizontal abutment 37 on which to seal plug 21.

Although this invention has been described with particular reference to plasmapheresis, it will be understood that its basic teaching can have wider applications such as in medicine, pharmaceuticals, chemical compounding, solution formulation and the like.

What I claim is:

1. A method for avoiding mistakes in matching a patient to substance to be administered and comprising the steps of arranging a connection position relative to the patient in which position a container having the substance therein must be placed for administering the substance to the patient,

providing a plug having a distinctive configuration,

attaching said plug to said container, providing a receptacle with a configuration which conforms to that of the plug, placing said receptacle in said connection position, and inserting the plug into the receptacle for connection thereto and for supporting the container in said connection position.

2. ln plasmapheresis, a method for avoiding mistakes in returning red blood cells to the correct donor and comprising the steps of arranging an elevated position relative to the donor in which position a container having the donors red blood cells therein must be placed for intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor,

providing a plug which has a distinctive configuration,

attaching said plug to said container,

providing a receptacle which has a configuration that conforms to that of the plug,

placing said receptacle in said elevated position, and

inserting the plug into the receptacle for connection thereto and for holding the container in its elevated position for the intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor.

3. A method for perfonning plasmapheresis and comprising the steps of arranging an elevated support relative to the donor in which support a container having red blood cells therein must be placed for intravenous return of the red blood cells to the donor,

providing a plug which has a distinctive cross-sectional shape,

attaching the plug to a suitable blood container,

withdrawing blood from the donor into the blood container,

extracting plasma from the blood by centrifuging the blood container with the plug attached thereto,

providing on the support a receptacle which has a shape which conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the plug, and thereafter inserting the plug into the receptacle to position the blood container on the support for intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor.

4. The method of claim 3 and delivering saline solution intravenously to the donor along with the red blood cells.

5. The method of claim 4 and providing means for retaining the plug in the receptacle.

the method,

arranging the support adjacent the cot,

providing means for pairing the support with the cot.

7. A method for performing plasmapheresis and comprising the steps of:

providing a stand for suspending thereon a container for red blood cells to be returned to the donor of said cells;

providing an engaging member having a distinctive configuration and a matching receiving member;

assigning said members to the donor;

attaching said engaging member to a container and said receiving member to said stand;

thereafter filling said container with the whole blood donated by the donor and extracting the plasma from the blood by centrifuging; and thereafter inserting said member into said receiving member to suspend said container with the red blood cells therein from the stand for return of the red blood cells to the donor. 

1. A method for avoiding mistakes in matching a patient to a substance to be administered and comprising the steps of arranging a connection position relative to the patient in which position a container having the substance therein must be placed for administering the substance to the patient, providing a plug having a distinctive configuration, attaching said plug to said container, providing a receptacle with a configuration which conforms to that of the plug, placing said receptacle in said connection position, and inserting the plug into the receptacle for connection thereto and for supporting the container in said connection position.
 2. In plasmapheResis, a method for avoiding mistakes in returning red blood cells to the correct donor and comprising the steps of arranging an elevated position relative to the donor in which position a container having the donor''s red blood cells therein must be placed for intravenous delivery of the red blood cells back to the donor, providing a plug which has a distinctive configuration, attaching said plug to said container, providing a receptacle which has a configuration that conforms to that of the plug, placing said receptacle in said elevated position, and inserting the plug into the receptacle for connection thereto and for holding the container in its elevated position for the intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor.
 3. A method for performing plasmapheresis and comprising the steps of arranging an elevated support relative to the donor in which support a container having red blood cells therein must be placed for intravenous return of the red blood cells to the donor, providing a plug which has a distinctive cross-sectional shape, attaching the plug to a suitable blood container, withdrawing blood from the donor into the blood container, extracting plasma from the blood by centrifuging the blood container with the plug attached thereto, providing on the support a receptacle which has a shape which conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the plug, and thereafter inserting the plug into the receptacle to position the blood container on the support for intravenous delivery of the red blood cells to the donor.
 4. The method of claim 3 and delivering saline solution intravenously to the donor along with the red blood cells.
 5. The method of claim 4 and providing means for retaining the plug in the receptacle.
 6. The method of claim 3 and maintaining the donor on a cot throughout performance of the method, arranging the support adjacent the cot, providing means for pairing the support with the cot.
 7. A method for performing plasmapheresis and comprising the steps of: providing a stand for suspending thereon a container for red blood cells to be returned to the donor of said cells; providing an engaging member having a distinctive configuration and a matching receiving member; assigning said members to the donor; attaching said engaging member to a container and said receiving member to said stand; thereafter filling said container with the whole blood donated by the donor and extracting the plasma from the blood by centrifuging; and thereafter inserting said member into said receiving member to suspend said container with the red blood cells therein from the stand for return of the red blood cells to the donor. 